Reading apparatus



July 27, 1943. T 2,325,324

READING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 26, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

/// ARTHUR ATWATER KENT ATTORNEY.

July 27, 1943. A. A. KENT READING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 26, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f INVENTOR. ARTHUR ATWATER KENT BY I ATTORNEY.

ITE T TE OF F l 1 t H hither Ja ar-Kent, A1ige s, baa-. 1,

- a. a fit ent I- i My invention" has for' its {object facilitating reading" and'kindred visual examination of books;

magazines, newspapers" 'and' the like by normal persons and particularly-invalid; wounded or con w' al'escentpersons, reclining or lyin g in or on beds, couches,"chairs or the like; by recourse tofst'ructure easilyinanipulated by the reader to or frorn reading p'osition without assistance, and when in reading position afiording tofthe reader high degree of comfort for" his personl 1 'In accordance" with one aspectgofiriy iny ntion there is 'provided a rest bar extending transversey i li newt-10 th r de an tar edmp f pedestals; at or adjacent its opposite ends 'res ting upon the bed, couchor, the like,;r on theloed clothes or coyeringunde'r which the may; of the reader may be disposed; the banispreierably long enough and by the pedestals' held high enough fi ta ti .i edoinl f m vement the body of the reader and to preyent theibejgl; clothes or "cover; when used; from pullingftiglit-j ly over the readersbody The bar 'prefe'rably'is quite narrow, as'm e'asuredin the direction length: wise of the body of thereagler, as corn'paredwith} the-width, in like'directio'n, of a bed table' or-the like supported either'on the bed orlthe like} or;

upoh a stand r'es'tingon the floor; the'bar, thoug h sonar-row, provides width sufii cient for rest g upon it; 'rnain-ly adj'acentan'edge only t-hereof; one o'rboth hands, wrists or ro regams; of the reader while holding-(5r otherwise positioning 'a newspaper or like relatively largenon rigid inatfo'rtable or convenient for any necessary or ohosenf position of body;- some types of' read ingrriatter, such asa' newspaperor like'pliant or .non-rigid rnattermay rest 11p or'hang astride the top-edge'of the platen and extend downward iy' onga posite side's thereof in r-ront and-back of the platen "and? or 'rest ba'r; either or bothhands of 'thereader being-either'free'orresting upon the rest-bar andeither-or not holding the newspaper;

furthermore the "platen niay be providedpnits side nearest the reader's eyes' with a ledge or shelf like' member upon and against whiclr'and b'cn ba ni cl i gforwa d m mr e torn-toward the top"awa y from the readers eyes,

' may restabook likeperiodical or parnphlet, 'us uiter; or upon the bar-maybe stood an'open loook 4 or similar substantially rigid matter which may hands upon the rest bar may extend downwardly either infront or back of the rest-bar,'in either a casebeing supDOrte'dxor held by the hand'or hands ,itself or themselves resting upon the bar;

- In accordance with a;further aspect of my in.

vention; there is provided a platen which,--prefer-; ably devoid of or without recourse to any fasten-; ers locks, catches, hinges or otheraccessories,--is;1

carried by the restebar; for which purpose it'rnay 7 t a ma azme r the'likepositioned on theplaten. 1

be provided with structure, such as; oneor more slotted .members embracing the rest-bar, on

which'latter the platen is slida ble lengthwiseoi: the bar aswell as .swingabl e. horizontally Withrespect thereto throughasubstantial anglewhile Y Y membersjor portionsfpwhich maylrest unsecured airtiynpon the"bed"or' 'the lik'e', or may rest s hedi thief m n ine ,drewiii s i we nym ii idthah. new pae a l is?" Ei thana bou'nd book; or, a pamphlet suchage 20' t. t v

: idraa un staedi s i at "enema l i s aii n. e j n em ni', the eofs, 'r i ef Fi -l a 'ne e' g Vi w 'Qf'ihe. $5fif 1 un t? F g-.12 ia fr me tary v ewsh w e, cr s ejq iQn'Q h t estba c n n l h i i :E g: a Qer e ti e Vi w of t egbla e n Fig 4 i afperspectiveyiew jof the assemblyoi here's? arfand ie nni s;H; t, l

Figs. 'cfthe rest-f,

i v 7 Bar jpe s jecti efiw bar' unit in position withrespectto the recumbent reader in whose hands, resting upon the lQStrbfiJi, f "is held a newspaper or thelike extending own wardly onljthejrear thereof Fig. 6

ardly in iront of the rest=bar, Fig.5,

. g}? ;is;a generally similar per'spectiye wiew vshowing,a'lo'ound book'orjthe like, resting uponj thefrest bar upon which rest also the readers handsflwhileholding thevbook; t Fig, "Sis a perspective'vie'w of the rest-barand; platen assembly, showing a further rno'de of support of a newspaperforgsimilar non-rigid matter; {Fig- 9 is 'a perspectivefviewof' the-assembly of j 1 Fig. 1 0 is a similar perspective view: illustrating lengthwise thereof upon standards or pedestals S, having; forwardly and rearwardly extending et f es nc ned" f ae eferringto Figs, 1; .2 andl, R is the rest bar, *rnoiintedat its ends'or other suitable positions below the bar R, at the front thereof, on the side of the bar nearest the readers head.

In Fig. 6, the newspaper or like matter. 'N, hangs downwardly on the rear side of the bar whose width, as aforesaid, is small enough to permit the reading matter to hang below the hands and bar on that side thereof which may be chosen by the reader as best suiting his comfort or need.

In Fig. 7, the reading matter is a book or volume V, bound in covers stiff or rigid enough to permit the volume without crumpling or deformation itself to rest on the bar R, on which also one or both hands of the reader may rest while holding the volume. In this instance again the small width of the bar sufiices properly to support the book, and importantly suflices for supporting either or both hands, wrists or fore-arms, while the book is held.

In Fig. 8, with the rest-bar and platen units assembled, as in Fig. 4, a newspaper N or the like may rest upon the top edge of the platen P and hang down both in front and to the rear thereof, again permitting matter N to hang either in front of or back of the bar R itself. Grasping or control of matter N by the readers hand or hands usually is not in this instance as necessary as in Figs. and 6; nevertheless either or both of the readers hands, wrists or fore-arms may be rested for comfort and effectiveness upon the bar R, whether or not when in that position the newspaper is held or grasped by the reader.

In Fig. 9, there is supported on the ledge L of platen P a magazine or other reading matter 0 (for example a copy of the magazine Life) higher and/or wider than the platen P, andof less rigidity than that of book or volume V, Fig. 7, but usually with suflicient rigidity, especially! along the binding edge d, notwithstanding the cover elements 0, c are pliant, not to crumple. Again either or both of the hands, wrists or forearms may rest upon the bar R, as they may in all the arrangements illustrated, either for a comforting change of position for resting them,

and/or additionally to graps the reading matter.

The arrangement in Fig. is generally similar to that in Fig. 9 except that the reading matter OI is a magazine, such for example as Harper's, relatively shorter and stockier, and more rigid than the larger magazine of Fig. 9.

For brevity in the appended claims the term bed is generic to beds, couches, chairs and the like; and the term hand is generic to hand, wrist and fore-arm.

What I claim is:

1. Reading apparatus comprising a rest-bar unit, itself comprising a long narrow bar, of materially less than bed-table width, and on which may be directly rested either or both hands, supports secured to said bar on opposite sides of the body of the reader recumbent upon a bed, and of height eifecting substantial clearance between the bar and the body, each of said supports at itslower end resting unsecured upon secured to the platen, for attachment thereof to said bar, engaging with the bar unsecured thereto and permitting sliding of the platen longitudinally and transversely of the bar.

2. Reading apparatus comprising rest-bar and platen units, the rest bar unit comprising (a narrow bar, of materially less than bed-table width, on which may be directly rested either or both hands, supports for said bar secured thereto on opposite-sides of the body of the reader recumbent upon a bed, each of'said supports at its lower end resting unsecured upon the bed, the platen unit comprising aplaten materially shorter than said bar and on which reading matter is supported, and means for mounting the platen, unsecured upon said bar, said means having a slot for embracing said bar in preventudinally of the bar.

' gaging with the bar unsecured. thereto and per- 3. Reading apparatus comprising rest-bar and platen units, the rest bar unit comprising a mar-'- row bar, of materially less than bed-table width, supports for said bar secured thereto on oppo site sides of the body of the reader recumbent upon a bed, the platen unit comprising a platen materially shorter than. said bar permitting resting of either or both hands upon said bar, and means, for mounting the platen unsecuredupon said bar, having a slot embracing said bar permitting sliding of the platen longitudinally of'the bar and permitting th platen, in any of its positions longitudinally of the bar, to swing horizontally through a substantial angle.

4. Reading apparatus, comprising rest-barand platen units, said rest-bar unit comprising a long narrow bar having a flat top of fixed length on which may be directlyrested either or both hands beside said platen unit, supports secured to said bar on opposite sides of the body ofthe' reader recumbent upon a bed, and of height efiecting substantial clearance between the bar and the body, each of said supports at its lower end resting unsecured upon the bed, said platen unit comprising a platen on which reading matter is supported, and means secured to said platen, for attachment thereoftosaid bar, en-

mitting resting and sliding of the platen unit upon and longitudinally of. the bar on the flat top thereof, said means permitting said platen, in any of its positions longitudinally of the bar, to swing horizontally through a substantial angle while resting unsecured upon said top of said bar. v

ARTHUR ATWATER 

